Loaded: Face appeal

April 1, 2009

Loaded

Notification on

Notification off

Transcript

>> Natali Del Conte and Mark Licea are in their honeymoon.
^M00:00:05
[ Music ]
^M00:00:07
>> We wish them the best. Today, the Conficker worm attacks today, IBM launches a social network and Opera lets you control your browser with your face. It's Wednesday, April 1, I'm Wilson Tang and it's time to get Loaded.
^M00:00:22
[ Music ]
^M00:00:29
>> Tech companies are having a little too much fun with April Fools, Google announced a faux software called CADIE which stands for Cognitive Auto-Heuristic Distributed Intelligence Entity. It sort of like a pre-cog from Minority Report and that it can predict the future in computing and read your mind. InfoWorld reported that Microsoft asked the government for a $20 billion bailout and reported that Twitter will now be a part of the federal emergency response network -- both of those were untrue. And Opera announced a face gesture function for its browser, let's you control your browsing with your face if you got a webcam. I have to assume that this is also an April fool's joke. See for yourself!
>> Zoom in. Zoom out. Bookmark page.
>> The Conficker worm is not an April fools' joke as far as we can tell. It's set to activate today and so far reports from the Web say that there hasn't been much disruptive activity. Conficker exploits security weaknesses in Windows. We don't know if, when or how it will re-launch today, but we're watching closely. Just in case, update your version of Windows and don't open attachments you're not familiar with. And act really suspicious all day long, if for no other the reason because it's fun.
Yahoo launched a mobile application for iPhone and non-iPhone users alike. It's basically a more organized portal for all things Yahoo. It has news, stock, weather, address book, calendar, feeds to your favorite sites and of course instant messaging. If you'd have an iPhone you can find it in the app store, but if you don't you can find it at new.m.yahoo.com from your mobile browser.
IBM launched a social network and cloud service for business users called LotusLive Engage. Users will be able to collaborate within and beyond the company's firewall. Features include profile and contact management, online meetings, file sharing, instant messaging and project management. The tool is in teaser mode at the moment, but becomes commercially available on April 7 for $10 to 45 per user.
MySpace is partnering up with CitySearch to let its users share reviews of local bars and restaurants. This is a lot like Facebook's Yelp application. The site will be called MySpace Local and it will merge the huge CitySearch database into the social network, so that you can find a date and then collectively pick a place to meet all from the comforts of MySpace. Just make sure the restaurant is well-lit and crowded if you're doing MySpace dating.
American Airlines is getting onboard with in-flight Wi-Fi. The airline says they'll equip more than 300 planes mostly in the US with Gogo Wireless Service. Delta recently acquired Northwest and they say they'll offer the service on their planes by the end of the year. The airline says that they are not planning in-flight cell phone service anytime soon though. Thank goodness.
It is confirmed that the PlayStation 2 is now only $99. Sony confirmed this on Tuesday and the sale price goes into effect today. In the official announcement Sony said something that made me feel really old and un-cool. Quote, "With this new price, we intend to introduce a new generation of consumers -- some of whom weren't even alive when the system was first introduced in 2000 -- to the immense entertainment value offered by PlayStation 2." Weren't even alive? Do 9 year olds have $99 to buy gaming consoles?
Skype is now available for the BlackBerry at least a Lite version is. The company has already released clients for iPhone, Windows Mobile, Symbian and Android Mobile platforms. And BlackBerry remained conspicuously absent until today. The Lite version will be able to make Skype to phone and Skype to Skype calls as well as receive inbound calls. Instant messaging and SMS are also included, but voice mail and file transfer will be delayed. The good news is that you will be able to make calls over your cellular connection rather than just Wi-Fi. A full version is set for release in May.
Samsung launched a WiMax touchscreen phone called the Mondi. It runs Windows Mobile and has a 4.3-inch display with the built-in camera and slide-out keyboard with navigation toggle. It also includes Wi-Fi, GPS, Outlook, Mobile Office, 4-gigs of memory, Bluetooth and Push email. Clear Wire will be offering the WiMax service, so all the tech heads in Baltimore rejoice. Everyone else will just sit and wait.
Last.fm has decided to postpone its eBay streaming radio model. The company posted a blog this week saying that they have had some major backlash to the new revenue model which has them charging users in all countries except the US, UK and Germany. They will still have to charge but they don't know exactly when and when they do they will provide alternative payment option such as gift subscriptions or pay by SMS.
Those are all your headlines for today, but I will see you tomorrow with more, thank you for watching. I'm Natali Licea with CNET TV and you've just been loaded. Happy April Fools' Day.
^M00:05:17
[ Music ]